GST, demonetisation caused some trouble, but did not shake people's faith in PM: Harsh Vardhan
New Delhi, May 2: Admitting that demonetisation and the implementation of GST by the government had caused "some disturbances", Union minister and BJP candidate from traders' hub Chandni Chowk Harsh Vardhan has asserted that the moves have not shaken the people's faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision.
In an interview to PTI, Vardhan said these "bold steps" of the government were appreciated by people and the criticism was "politically motivated".
"When demonetisation was done, certainly it was a very hard, historic reform and a bold decision on the part of the government and of course, our PM Narendra Modiji. You saw the whole country stood in queues outside banks but not even a single person was unhappy because people had faith in the vision of the PM and his intentions.
"Although, for a small period of time, people had some small disturbances in handling cash and going to the banks for changing it. Now everyone has realised that the PM had very pious intentions. Nobody has criticised it," the Union minister of science and technology said.
Asked about the discomfort caused to businessmen and traders due to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), he described the new tax regime as the "biggest reform", which was amended from time to time on the basis of inputs given by traders.
"GST was a major and the biggest reform. The prime minister does everything that benefits people even though, for some time, people may not like it. But after having introduced the GST reforms, he was so receptive and pragmatic in his approach that he took inputs from traders from all sections of the society, their wise suggestions were incorporated and the GST Act was amended 100-200 times," Vardhan said.
Stating that the criticism of demonetisation and GST was politically motivated, he took a dig at the opposition parties, saying they had run out of issues.
"People in India, Delhi and in my own constituency realise that the PM has very very pure intentions and he is trying to bring about a major change in the country. He is trying to bring about reforms in the thinking of people, whereby truthfulness and honesty in business start prevailing. People have started changing to the newer reform strategy. This (GST) is no longer an issue.
"These issues are being raised because the opposition is devoid of issues. Even if there is some criticism in some quarters, it is all politically motivated," the 64-year-old MP from Chandni Chowk said, adding that he had faith in the traders.
"I have full faith in the commitment of the traders. People have so much enthusiasm and commitment for the prime minister, because everybody in this country whether a trader, a poor man, a student or a scientist, doctor, farmer or labourer realises that the PM has an extraordinary ability and vision," Vardhan said.
Vardhan had been a four-time MLA from east Delhi's Krishna Nagar Assembly constituency. He had joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 1993.
In the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, Vardhan is pitted against the Congress's Jai Prakash Agarwal and the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Pankaj Gupta in the Chandni Chowk constituency.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
